Worrying about my pension...

I am awake at night worrying about my pension! I’m a member of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) – other UNISON members are in other schemes and they are all under attack.

The Government consultation document on the future of the LGPS is at http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/208/WherenextOptionsforanewlookLocalGovernmentPensionSchemeinEnglandandWales_id1501208.pdf - it is pretty clear that, apart from anything else, LGPS members could be facing an increase in employee pension contributions, just as has been proposed in the National Health Service.

The consultation document assumes that the only change which will have been made to the amendments to the LGPS made earlier this year (abolishing the Rule of 85) will those which have recently been consulted upon. That means that the Government have decided not to extend protection to the under 50s – unless they go along with the Scottish Executive who have generously extended that full protection to those aged 46 and over. If anyone now doubts that it was a mistake to accept a deal excluding the LGPS in October 2005 and to suspend our strike action in April 2006 then I can only think that they have not been paying attention.

For the official view from UNISON go to http://www.unison.org.uk/pensions/doc_view.asp?did=2536